The station has an island platform and is served by Northern Trains‘ Manchester Victoria/Manchester Piccadilly - Southport via Wigan Wallgate branch services, on which it is the last stop before the terminus.

Within four years, the new owners of the line had diverted services to their established terminus at Chapel Street along with those of the West Lancashire Railway from Preston, with Central being relegated to use as a goods depot.

The line through Meols Cop was electrified in February 1909 by the L&YR to exploit the area's potential for commuter traffic, with the popular electric service between Southport and Crossens being diverted there over the north to east side of the triangular junction with WLR, which was sited immediately to the west.

[1] In February 1911 a connection from the LS&PJR route to join the Wigan line at Pool Hey Junction was opened, which allowed trains from Wigan (and Ormskirk) to Southport to serve the station[1] - this would later allow the closure of the original M&SR route via Blowick and the removal of the busy level crossing there.

[1] By 1926, the Altcar Bob service had been cut back to Barton and it was subsequently withdrawn completely by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in September 1938.

[1] The third rail was only used for access to the carriage works after the September 1964 closure of the Southport-Crossens service, which became a victim of the Beeching Axe (along with the WLR main line) despite being used by over 2 million passenger per year.

Sunday services however ceased in the mid 1980s and the station became unstaffed in 1990, subsequently losing its wooden buildings to demolition in March 2000 (replacement 'bus stop' style shelters being erected the following month).

The station was closed on Sundays up until the December 2008 timetable change, but is now served hourly in each direction (eastbound to Blackburn via Victoria and Todmorden).